


Picked and Chosen

by JackTheSoldier



Category: 18th Century CE RPF, American Revolution RPF, Historical RPF
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I was listening to Owl City's Cinematic Album as I wrote this, M/M, Purity, The Adoptive Dad AU my friend told me to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-11-02 04:56:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackTheSoldier/pseuds/JackTheSoldier
Summary: John Laurens' father gave him up and he was finally picked. He still remembers those days.





	1. One

The orphanage was quiet, which was suspicious. The widow who ran it, Miss Margarett "Molly" Smith, was looking around to see what was off. It was never this quiet, even on a school day like today! After some extensive searching and finding nothing wrong, she went back to the kitchen to get some coffee for herself. Just as she crossed the threshold, the doorbell rang. 

_Grand_, she thought and strolled back to the front of the small orphanage. It somehow managed to support the poor children who were orphaned or just abandoned in the small town in Virginia. It was a few miles from the border of West Virginia and in a cozy valley in the mountains. It was nearly remote, but the interstate that ran nearby still threw some tourists or business their way, which was good for the little town's economy. 

She didn't expect to look through the peephole and see Senator Henry Laurens (who she had seen recently on the news. Who hadn't? He was a young father who was making progress in congress! The up and coming Democrat from South Carolina), though. Molly gasped and opened the door to let him in at once, even in her less than perfect state. 

"Senator Laurens!" She said and noticed the young boy, no more than five years old, clinging to the man's dress pants. "Is everything alright? Would you like to come in?" 

He shook his head. "No ma'am, thank you." He had a sad look in his eyes and knelt down to face his son. "Okay, Jack, this nice woman is going to be taking care of you until I come back. You need to be nice for her and for me. I know you can do that. I'll be back to get you as soon as I can." The senator cupped his son's face and smiled weakly at him. He clearly was not thrilled to leave him. 

"Daddy, I wanna stay with you in Washin'ton," the boy whined. 

"I know, Jack, but I can't take you. I need to leave you here. Promise me you'll be good?" Senator Laurens asked and the boy nodded. Henry stood back up and turned to Molly with a pleading look. "Please tell me you'll take good care of him. I can't anymore and I..." His voice faltered. "I need you to take him for me, please." 

Molly nodded. "Yes, sir. Do you need my number to call him?" She asked. He shook his head and she helpfully gave him a card she carried around just for these circumstances. "And who is this man that I will be takin' care of?" 

"This is John. Thank you so much. I'll bring his things in," Henry said and Molly took John's hand to lead him inside. Henry returned a moment later and set John's things down in the living room. It was just one box. 

Henry Laurens stood in the doorway for a moment and thanked Molly again before he gave John one last hug and a kiss on the top of his head and left. He didn't look back and Molly was sure she knew it was because if he did, he would come running back to take John with him. She had seen it all before. 

Molly turned to the kitchen table to grab her coffee again and saw John sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. He was crying and staring at the floor. 

"Honey, he'll come back. Didn't he say so?" 

John nodded. 

"Do you want something to calm down, sweetie?" 

Another nod. 

"What's your favorite drink?" 

"Lemonade." 

"Lemonade it is." 


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John meets Ex-General George Washington.

"John, you might be late for school if you don't hurry!" Molly shouted up the stairs as the blond boy rushed around looking for his colored pencils. 

"'m comin', Miss Molly!" He shouted and shoved the pencils into his bag before he came running down the stairs. 

One of the other boys, Francis Kinloch, was standing patiently by the door, watching for the bus. He was two years older than John and taller, too, and the pair were nearly inseparable. Of course, lately that had been changing and Molly wasn't quite sure. She watched John run across the room, grab his lunchbox, shove it in his little bookbag, and run to stand next to Francis. 

"Be careful getting to the bus. I know you're both excited, but be careful. Have a good day," Molly said and opened the door right on time as the bus stopped to pick up the little kids. They all rushed to the bus, Francis and John leading them. 

Molly sighed and waved to them as they left. Yet again, the place was quiet. Not near as quiet as two years ago when John had arrived, but quiet. Since then, children had come and gone and Senator Laurens had called at least once every month to speak with his son. He always said "I'll be back to get you soon", yet never came to visit or get John. In fact, he had told Molly over the phone that he wouldn't be able to get him anytime soon and that if any other family could give him a good home, it was okay. He faxed John's information to her and she knew that he meant John could be chosen by another family to be their son instead now. She wasn't just taking care of him anymore. 

Miss Molly Smith walked around the building, cleaning rooms and making sure things were presentable for visitors, as she always did. Nobody stayed behind today. Thank God. 

It was nearly two in the afternoon when Molly heard the doorbell ring. She went to go get it and opened the door with a smile after seeing a couple through the peephole. 

"Good afternoon! May I help you with something?" She asked politely and saw the man smile and nod back at her. The woman beside him, who must've been his wife and was significantly shorter, also nodded. 

"Yes, ma'am! We were the ones who called last week!" The woman said and reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Martha." 

"Oh! You're the Washingtons!" Molly realized and let them in. George thanked her and the pair stood in the front room and looked around. Molly gasped and apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry! The children are still in school! Once they come back, you're welcome to meet them and spend time with them, though!" 

Martha nodded. "We're willing to wait." 

***

The trio was sitting in the kitchen socializing when the door opened again. The kids ran in and scattered without even bothering to say hello to Molly. Some ran upstairs, some to the living room, some to the kitchen to get snacks, and they all laughed at how sudden the atmosphere had changed. But Molly hadn't seen John come in. 

"Pardon me, you two. I need to look for one of the kids," she apologized and got up to look outside to see if John was there. 

Indeed, he was. He was sitting in the grass, his bag abandoned on the steps, and he was clearly crying. Molly knew that he usually came outside when he was upset as well. Nature was always there to calm him down, he had claimed. 

"John, what's wrong?" She hummed. 

He whimpered and turned to look at Molly. Then she saw the big purple mark on his face. A big bruise. 

"Oh, honey, what happened?" She cooed and rushed over to see what was wrong. 

"Frank hit me," he mumbled and wiped his tears on the sleeves of his Captain America t-shirt. 

"Why did Francis hit you?" 

"I tried to kiss 'im an' he called me a homo an' hit me once we got off the bus." He wiped his nose on his other sleeve and looked up to Molly with teary eyes. 

"Why'd you try to kiss him?" She asked. Of course, she didn't think Francis was in the right to hit him and call him a homo, but she wanted to hear why John wanted to kiss him. 

"B'cause one of the big kids at school kissed some'ne else today an' they said that it was b'cause they loved 'im and I love Francis an' I wanted to show 'im!" John whined and cried harder as he explained it. 

"Honey, those were older kids and probably a boy and a girl. You can kiss people when you're older, but right now you should keep your hands to yourself and focus on your school, okay?" She smiled and John nodded. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

Once they headed inside, she lead John to the kitchen and gave him an ice pack to hold against his head and poured him his comfort drink. Lemonade. 

"Who's this?" George asked and smiled at John. The little blond blushed and looked down and away from George. He wasn't used to attention, especially not from adults. 

"This is John. He turned seven last month," she said for him and went to get his bag for him. 

"Hello, John. My name is George." 

No response. 

"Do you like lemonade?" He asked, trying to spark a conversation from the drink he had in his hands. 

"Mhm." 

"Well, my wife Martha makes the best lemonade in the world. Not too sweet and not too sour. Just right," he said and John was more interested now. 

"Can I have some?" 

George chuckled. "Only if Martha and I decide to pick you." 

"Pick me?" 

"Well, yes. We came here to get a son or daughter to join our family. We can't have any kids of our own, so we're going to pick one of you to come with us instead." 

"My daddy is still gonna come to get me one day, so it wouldn't be me, though." 

George looked surprised to hear this. "Your daddy?" 

"Yeah. He's really important and business-y and he works all the way in Washin'ton. He calls but he doesn't visit," John explained and took another sip of his lemonade. 

"You mean Washington D.C.?" 

"Yeah." 

"What's his last name?" 

"Laurens." 

"Your daddy is Senator Henry Laurens?" George asked and looked even more surprised. 

"Yeah." 

Well. That answered the question about the Senator. The press had said that his wife had died of cancer two years back and his son had, in their words, 'mysteriously disappeared'. Apparently, Henry Laurens hadn't been able to support John, his son, and gave him up and nobody had found him since. Well. George found him. 

"Do you like airplanes?" John asked suddenly. 

"Excuse me?" 

He pointed to George's necktie, which had a little pattern of the Blue Angels, the group of fighter jets that did all sorts of air acrobatics. George laughed. "Yes, I do. I used to work with them." 

"Really!?" 

"Yep. I used to be a General in the Army a long time ago. I'm a fan of the Blue Angels and even got to meet one of them." 

"Whoa." 

"Yeah." 

"If I go with you, can I meet one?" 

George chuckled again and nodded. "Sure. I'll see if I can arrange that." 

A moment later, Martha walked back into the room and tapped George on the shoulder. He got up and followed her into the front room to talk. "George, I think I found her." 

"The right one?" 

"Yes. She's named Evelyn and she's perfect." 

"I think I found someone better." 

"Really?" 

"His name is John. He's the boy we've been dreaming of for a long time, Martha. He's the missing son of Senator Laurens. If you just talk with him for a few minutes like I have, you'll see how perfect he is for us. Give him a chance." He smiled at Martha and she nodded. 

He lead her back into the kitchen where John had gotten out a coloring book, his colored pencils, and some gummy snacks. He was coloring very carefully a picture of a dinosaur. 

"John, this is my wife, Martha." 

"Hello." 

"Hello, John. What're you coloring?" She asked as they took a seat. 

"A Brachiosaurus," he said and didn't even look up at her. 

"Really? How do you know?" 

He pointed to the top of the coloring book's page where it said the name of the dinosaur. 

"Do you like drawing?" 

"Yeah. 'specially animals an' stuff." 

"George, you were right." 

"I told you." 

***

"Do you have everything, John?" 

"Mhm!" 

"Okay. George and Martha are gonna take care of you now. I told your daddy so he knows where you are in case he wants to visit you." 

"Yes, Miss Molly! Thank you!" He squealed and hugged her. 

"You're welcome, John." 

"Okay. Everything is signed, his things are ready to go, and now we just need him," George said and smiled at John. "C'mere." 

John walked right into his open arms and squealed as George lifted him up onto his shoulders. John had never seen the world like this or sat on anybody's shoulders, so he couldn't stop laughing as he did. 

"Goodbye. Be nice, John." 

"Bye, Miss Molly!" 

With those little goodbyes, the Washingtons left with their new adopted son, John Laurens Washington. 


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it all begins to come together... But there are still two chapters left to go! How will it end?

His feet fell hard on the grass and he panted heavily as he ran across the open space. His breath didn't puff out in clouds as it had during the winter, and his footsteps didn't crunch under him either. Leaves didn't cover the ground and give up where he was with their swishing and cracking. 

John grabbed the reins of his horse first, then slipped his foot into the stirrup, then heaved his other leg and whole body over the horse. Before he could even mutter the words, the horse was off and John felt the wind at his face. The trail through the trees to the front of the property was cleared and he had no trouble getting to the driveway. Then he saw it: their garage and the black car (John wasn't sure what brand it was) that was pulling in. His dad's own horse, Nelson, was in the pasture near to the garage. 

Once the car was in the garage, George stepped out and smiled at his son. "You're getting faster every day. Did you tell Martha where you were off to?" 

"Didn't need to. I put your call on speakerphone." 

"Of course. Did you ever remove the saddle and stuff from Josephine since this morning when you saw me out?" He asked and pointed to the dappled mare that John was sitting atop. 

John realized that he hadn't. A terrible habit of his. "...Sure." 

"Jack." 

The stern tone made him fess up. "Yeah, I know, it's a bad habit, but I forgot! Mom said there was a call from Alexander and I couldn't leave him hangin'!" 

"You're really smitten over this Alexander boy, aren't you?" 

John blushed. Since he met his dad's friend Hercules Mulligan and his own son Alexander, he had been totally enamored with him and everything about him. But of course, he'd never admit it. "We're just friends." 

"That's how most things start. Just wait. By the time both of you are eighteen, you'll be kissing and the whole deal," George hummed and grabbed the saddle and such he would need for Nelson to get back to the house. 

"Dad, please, just let it go." 

"I will. But I hope you know that we're having a summer party and you're expected to send the text invitation to Alexander and his father. Hopefully, that'll give you an excuse to spend more time with him." 

"Sure, dad. I'll tell him." 

"Before I forget, your father wanted to call tomorrow around noon. I told him you'd be available," George said and John turned to go. 

"Okay."

"Are you still afraid to meet him? He's offered for years since we've moved closer to D.C., Jack, and you still turn him down." 

John paused. The answer was clear. He was too afraid to face his father. In the ten years since he'd been left behind by him, he had forgotten his face and he wasn't sure he wanted to remember it. He wasn't ready to meet his real dad. Even ten years after being left, he wasn't ready. 

***

"Jack, relax. It's only your father, it isn't like how we expected you to act when meeting Gilbert." 

"Yeah, well he's two years younger than me. I wasn't really intimidated by a twelve-year-old billionaire at the time." 

"And look at you now. Intimidated to meet a fifty-one-year-old millionaire politician who's related to you by blood. And you're four years older than you were, Jack. What's wrong?" 

"Martha, you know he hasn't seen him in thirteen years. He's worried he won't be good enough. We've been over this." 

"Yes, George, I get it." 

"Jack?" 

In front of the trio who were sitting patiently in the Capitol building in front of the statue Freedom stood the South Carolinian Senator Henry Laurens. He had graying hair and a shocked but pleased expression on his face. He was dressed in a suit and tie, not unlike John's own black suit and baby blue bowtie. John jumped to his feet almost immediately and faced his father with his own shocked expression. 

As Henry approached, he smiled at his son's attire and then his face. Seeing the pair face to face, it was clear that John had a few inches on him. John's honey-blond hair that was held back in a neat ponytail today (having it down just got in his face and was very long) contrasted to his father's gray and much shorter hair which must've been a similar color at one point. They shared the same blue eyes, but Henry's were covered with thin, half-moon glasses. Aside from these similarities, there wasn't much that made them appear father and son. John's facial structure was a gift from his mother, which was good for his face because Henry's was long and made him look tired, but John still looked full of life. 

They just stood each other in for a minute, which gathered the attention of other people. Everyone here recognized the senator, of course, but John... He was totally new. 

Once their period of looking was over, the father and son had a mutual understanding to hug and that's exactly what they did. There were some mumbled words between them that nobody but themselves caught, but it was clearly very emotional for the pair. They were both crying by the time they pulled back, and both naturally laughed it off. 

"It's so good to see you, Jack. God, you've grown. What are you now, eighteen?" Henry asked and John responded with a nod. "My son. You look too formal in a tux." 

Both men laughed at that. 

John spoke up next. "I actually have some other news for you." 

"Oh?" 

John nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to tell you in person. I know you're still my father, and I know you love me, and I'm an adult now, and..." He took a deep breath. "I'm gay." 

Henry paused and then smiled at his son. "I'm just glad I get to see you again, and I'll accept my son even if he wanted to be a daughter instead. You're still my child, and even if I left you in that small town in Virginia, I think I would never truly leave you. I could never bring myself to do that again." 

John was beyond relieved and hugged his father again. 

***

CNN: Senator Reunited With Missing Son, Heartwarming Video 

***

**New Message From Alexander Hamilton**

Alex: hey so when r we meeting 

John: for our date? 

Alex: 4 what else?

John: i was gonna be at the place fifteen minutes before the reservation to make sure our places are ready by the reservation time if that is k with u 

Alex: yeah 

Alex: make sure to dress sharp 

Alex: u know how much i love that lime bowtie ;)

John: ofc. :)

Alex: cya soon 


End file.
